


The Prince needs saving on this one

by DeathBringer13



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parenting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:27:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24183619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathBringer13/pseuds/DeathBringer13
Summary: If Akechi only had this guy as a father figure no wonder he had turned so self-destructive.AU Where Shido is holding Goro hostage and Joker is ready to take his Prince away.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 3
Kudos: 185





	The Prince needs saving on this one

**Author's Note:**

> This idea belongs to vakurii on tumblr, I was just so inspired by it! They even did a really cute drawing on it, please check it out! https://vakurii.tumblr.com/post/615312644118888448/joker-to-the-rescue-hehe-this-is-a-very-old-idea ✨

Akira killed another shadow. It wouldn't seem so great if it wasn't for the number of shadows he had ended in the last couple of minutes. Everyone knew he was powerful- having a bunch of personas at his disposal was already a great deal- but the way he was holding his gun, and staring down at the last shadow was terrifying. 

The rest of the Phantom Thieves were glad to have him on their side.

They had tried multiple times to get into the battle, but either Joker had stopped them with just a glance at their direction or he finished the battle before they could even do something. They understood that he was taking his anger at the shadows.

The team was still processing everything that happened since Sae's palace; Joker's capture, Akechi's betrayal, the discovery of who was behind all the mental shutdowns…the sacrifice of Akechi after confessing all the things he did under Shido's orders. 

The death of Akechi had hit Joker significantly.

The shadow tried to say something-probably beg for his life- but Joker disposed of it without even blinking. He wasted no time and everyone followed him without question. 

He felt empty, the number of shadows increased the further they walked, but no matter the number that he destroyed he was still not satisfied. 

Akechi deserved better. He should be with them, fighting against the person who ruined his life before he was even born. He shouldn't have to end like that, alone on the other side of the metal door. 

It wasn't fair. 

He grew up alone, he had no one to tell him what he was doing was wrong. No one who would listen to him, no one to help him. 

No one who loved him. 

He was famous, yes, but the smile and charisma he displayed to the world were fake. Akira had seen glimpses of the real detective. The way his eyes shined when they were having a discussion and Akira managed to keep up. How he smiled after eating something he liked. How his whole attention was caught in crossword puzzles and how he would make little notes on the margins of his notebook when something was on his mind. 

And the only individual who actually paid attention to him was his manipulating father who was only using him for his own gains. 

No wonder he kept coming back to Leblanc. 

Akira had managed to bring down the walls he had built around himself, and along the path, he became the closest person to Akechi, and yet….

They opened the door to where they knew Shido's shadow was. The room was huge and empty. Rows and rows of seats all facing the center, Shido was standing there, glancing at them with disdain 

All the emptiness left him and anger surged and took over. He was in front of Shido in seconds, he could hear the rest of the team yelling and running after him. A deep part of him shouted to calm down, he was better than this. He had tried to prove to Akechi that his justice and the Phantom Thief's wasn't wrong. Using and killing someone for your own gain was wrong.

That giving second chances to make a person change and confess their crimes on their own was the right thing. 

Akechi had deserved a second chance…

Akechi died alone because of him. 

He wanted to end him, he wanted Shido to beg and cry like he had forced Akechi to. To corner him and force him to apologize. Killing him wasn't going to be enough, he didn't deserve a second chance, he deserved to suffer- 

"Joker!" Skull managed to catch up to him and grabbed his shoulder forcing him to stop. Just then he realized that he was gripping his dagger and his hand was already over his mask, ready to call upon his persona. 

"Where do you, lowlifes obtain that power..?" Shido spoke up, he stared at them and smiled, "Not that it matters, if you have a complaint, I am willing to listen." 

"What do you do to Akechi? He...he was your own son!"

Joker was surprised that it wasn't him the one shouting, but Yusuke. All his friends were surrounding him, he didn't know if it was to prevent Shido from doing something or to hold him down if he decided to attack. 

"Hmph, " Shido laughed, "I had a feeling it was something like that. He reminded me too much of that woman. I also have an idea as to why he approached me. He was hoping to trap me, was he not?" 

Akira gripped his dagger again. Shido knew of Akechi's plan all along? He knew he was his own son and still…

"He was sharp, but in the end, he was just a kid. I controlled him merely by offering praise." 

The grip on his shoulder got stronger, a plea to control himself.

"I intended to dispose of him as soon as I became Prime Minister." 

All the air left his lungs at the same time that Ryuji shouted, "What!?" Maybe he will release his shoulder now. 

Shido raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I could never keep someone with such an intimate knowledge of my past alive."

As if that explained everything. As if that could possibly justify Akechi's sacrifice. Shido had planned to kill him after everything that Akechi had done for him. That bastard didn't even know how to show gratitude to his only family. 

"What an "ace" detective he was." Shido mocked them, "Standing beside me all this time, yet he couldn't see through my plans. His destroying himself save me quite a bit of effort though."

"I hear enough-" Joker hissed but was interrupted again. 

"How could you!?" Ann cried out. 

"You stole my mom's research and took her life!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Everything you're done has been for your own selfish gains! You even killed my father!... I will never forgive you!" Haru yelled with so much anger that Joker thought they would have to restrain her as well. 

"Sacrifices are inevitable in the path of reform, " Shido explained calmly. "I only required that the foolish entrust themselves to the superiors, I shall guide them. But if you want your revenge that badly, you could eliminate your father's real killer." 

Everyone gasped when Akechi's cognitive shadow materialized next to Shido. He smiled at them as if he had not been shot by the real Akechi half an hour ago. 

"You…" Makoto blurted. 

"I brought him back as you asked, " Cognitive Akechi moved to the side and Akira felt his heart and everything around him stop. It couldn't be. The fake Akechi was dragging the real Akechi by one of his arms, his clothes had shifted to his prince outfit from before- Shido's cognition at work perhaps as he only saw him as the "Detective Prince." 

He never saw the killer he had created. The real Akechi. 

Akira wanted to run up there and check on him, there was a lot of blood on his clothes and his face was pale with blood running down the side of his face and the corner of his mouth. His mask was gone. Akira looked at him, was he alive? He stared at his chest and he could see the soft rise and fall and suddenly a heavyweight had been lifted. 

He was alive…

He could still save him!

There was still time. 

He must have shown something on his face because Shido eyed him and then turned his attention towards Akechi with disdain.

"I see, so you are the reason why he got out of the leash, pathetic. He was only useful when he was following my orders." 

"You never would have been able to make it this far without Akechi's help!" Ann accused him. 

"He was but a mere path, I controlled his every move. He was nothing without me! I was caritative and took him in, I gave him a home, fame, nobody would have cared about him otherwise!" 

Akira had enough. He took a step forward, getting away from Ryuji and almost ripped the mask off his face if it wasn't because Shido had grabbed Akechi by the wrist and lifted him in front of himself. 

"Wait, Joker!" Mona shouted, "This is going to get complicated, we need a plan!" 

Akira was furious, using Akechi as a shield was just demonstrating how insignificant he saw his own son. Akira knew his parents were not the best either but at least they didn't force him to do horrible things and try to kill him when he was of no use to them. They still abandoned him when the judge had declared that he was guilty, but because of that he had met Sojiro and learned how a true father figure acted. 

If Akechi only had this guy as a father figure no wonder he had turned so self-destructive.

"What's wrong? Don't you wish to take revenge for your father?" Shido asked Haru and then turned to Futaba, "Did you know Akechi is the one that caused your mother to jump in front of that car? He is right in front of you, Akechi probably finished them without mercy, like all his other victims. He was always so delighted when I praised him for his well-done job."

"You are despicable!" Makoto spoke up, clenching her firsts. Haru and Futaba were silent but Akira knew better, they were furious, "You're the one who ordered him to do it, what kind of parent lets their child become a murderer?"

"I show him how to use his so-called "special powers" he knew what he was doing, after all, he was the one who came to me," Shido laughed and stared at them, "It would be a waste to kill all of you...I will let you choose between life or death one last time. Devote your power to me and my social reform, and I will give you anything you want, be it wealth or status." 

He was crazy, after everything he had done he was still thinking they were going to join him? It seemed like everyone else agreed with him. When he didn't receive any positive response Shido glared at them and turned his attention towards Akechi, who by their surprise was starting to wake up. He half-opened his eyes and stared at nothing with a painful expression, he seemed really out of it, and Joker worried that he was losing too much blood. 

"Foolish, it seems I have no choice but to get rid of all of you, at least I can still make use of Akechi," Shido lifted the detective to his eye level and smirked, "Maybe this time he will understand that this is what happens to those who defy me," He took a hold of his face, staring at him with a maniac smile and Akechi let out a painful cry when Shido pushed against one of his injuries. Akira didn't realize he was moving until the cognitive Akechi was standing in front of him with a gun pointed at his head and he was midair with his teammates shouting behind him. 

"Milady!" Haru shouted in the middle of all the panic and bullets passed right next to him and eliminated the fake detective. Shido moved back and Joker landed on the edge of the balcony, eyes glaring daggers at the politician. 

“It seems the ignorant masses are doomed to remain as such...I thought you were smarter than that,” He looked at them and shook his head, “This is unfortunate...but a small leak will sink a great ship. Great nations have fallen to such lenience, but i will not make such incautious mistakes.”

People rose all around them, applauding as if he had solved world hunger, the Phantoms all looked around in confusion, “Since when…?” Queen asked. Those seats had been empty a few seconds ago. 

Shido raised his hand with a smile and everyone became quiet. The floor shook and the place in which Joker was standing started to elevate. The ceiling opened up and Joker realized that Shido was planning on fighting them on another location, he turned around and was relieved when he saw his friends following Fox and going after them.

Joker turned his attention back to Shido, his form was changing, “Let me make myself clear. Do not think of me as you did my foolish son who acted so brashly.”

“You little-” Skull started.

“Die...without further delay!”

“Our leader’s gone through shit ‘cause of you. It’s on!” Skull declared. 

Shido laughed and Akechi’s form floated in front of him, strings attached themselves to his limbs and he cried in pain when he was forced to move around. 

“Akechi!” Joker got ready for the incoming fight but he was trying to come up with something that would give them the chance to get Akechi away from his poor excuse of a father. 

“Joker stand back, regroup with everyone,” Futaba advised. Joker nodded and everyone started their attacks towards Shido and the huge golden lion he was sitting on, but nothing was working, and every time Joker tried something Shido would raise his arm, and Akechi was used as a shield. He somehow knew he was more powerful than the others and wasn’t going to take any chances. 

His mistake was thinking that only Joker was a menace.

“Is there any way to cut those strings?” Joker asked frustrated, his team was running out of energy, and Joker was starting to feel useless. Akechi was seriously hurt from their last battle and any hit powerful enough was going to finish him for good.

“Cut them?” Shido laughed, “He has always been a puppet, I decide when he has no more value!”

“He is a person! He decided not to follow you anymore!” Ann yelled,” you don’t have power over him no more!”

“He is mine!” 

“Wrong!” Yusuke said and everyone began attacking with more force, Joker summoned his persona and rushed forward. Shido saw him coming and placed Akechi directly in front of him…

“Zorro!” Mona’s attack passed right over Akechi, weakening the strings and before Shido could mend them he was distracted by the sudden attacks coming from behind, courtesy of Skull and Fox, Haru jumped from behind Queen’s persona and used her ax to finish them off. 

The strings disappeared, and Akechi’s form dropped forward. Joker was ready for him and caught him in his arms, once he had him secured he turned his attention to the rest of the Phantoms, they kept Shido’s attention away from them. Panther came closer and used her persona to heal the detective while Joker lifted his hair to see the extent of the cut above his eyebrow. 

“Joker…?”

Akira looked at the boy staring at him with confusion, he did seem really out of it but some sort of clarity was coming back into his eyes. Finally, something good was happening, but of course, it didn’t last. Shido turned his whole attention on them and charged. Panther jumped away and Joker summoned his persona, to block the incoming attack. 

“How dare you interfere? He belongs to me!” Shido yelled.

Akechi trembled in his arms but he was weakly glaring at his father. If he could he would probably try to fight him on his own. He wasn’t chained by him or his past anymore. The wings of rebellion had taken flight. 

“Go to hell! I am not your puppet anymore!” Akechi managed to speak up, voice weak but his real colors were showing for the first time in front of Shido, “You make me sick, you have no right to lead anyone! You’re a pathetic excuse of a human!”

“You insolent brat! I will make you pay!” Shido was furious but Akechi didn’t back down. Joker smirked and stood up with a surprised Crow in his arms-bridal style- and his persona vanished, making his mask reappear over his face. 

“Sorry, but the Prince is coming with me!” He declared. 

Someone whistled in the background, but Akira paid them no attention. He was more focused on the cute flush that was slowly appearing on Akechi’s face at his declaration, and the pure fury radiating from the politician. 

Akechi hit his shoulder with more force than Joker thought he had, and demanded him to put him down embarrassed, but he refused. The detective could complain all he wanted, but he was not going to let him get away from him anymore.

The battle wasn’t over yet, but hell, he was not going to fail Akechi again after fate had given him the opportunity to get him back. 

Shido was going down.


End file.
